What is ruleplay? This a neologism I use to describe the exploration of rules systems as a way of understanding legal and regulatory theory. Law has much in common with other rules systems and we can expand our understanding of regulation by comparing practices in law, sport, games and other rule-oriented contexts such as computer programming or even the following of patterns and instructions. Further, the idea of play, is an important aspect of rule-oriented activity, we test the limits, look for loopholes, find inconsistencies and develop strategies for engaging in rules environments. There is a pleasure associated with understanding, navigating and being fluent in rules.
